Lotus Exige Sport 410 Is The Lightest V6-Powered Exige Ever

It's essentially a tamer, more road-friendly version of the extreme Exige Cup 430.

Lotus still hasn’t produced an all-new car since the Evora in 2009, but that will finally change in a couple of years. Thanks to a takeover by Geely, a Chinese company that also owns Volvo, Lotus is in a more stable financial position. As a result, the British automaker will finally . One will replace either the Elise or the Evora, while the other will be a hardcore track-focused model. The company’s first ever SUV will then follow in 2021 or 2022.

In the meantime, Lotus will keep churning out special editions of existing models. Last year saw the reveal of the , which now has a tamer, more road-friendly sibling. Called the Exige Sport 410, Lotus’s latest lightweight sports car inherits parts from the track-focused Exige Cup 430, resulting in a significant upgrade over the 350. Lotus says the Exige 410 Sport is “designed to be the ultimate road drive, unrivalled in its class.” It packs the same advanced chassis, suspension and powertrain set-up from its more powerful sibling, the track focused Exige Cup 430.

Under the hood is a retuned version of the Cup 430’s supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine, which has been calibrated to produce 410 hp at 7,000 rpm and 310 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent through a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission. Elsewhere, the Exige 410 Sport’s three-way adjustable Nitron dampers have been re-tuned for the road to suit the car’s revised aerodynamic setup. Sharing design cues from the Exige Cup 430, the Exige Sport 410 has been developed to generate 330 pounds of downforce. The front-end has also been revised with a wider grille, carbon fiber air curtains and front splitter. These changes have also been carried over to the Sport 350 model.

Combined with a dry weight of just 2,324 lbs, the Exige Sport 410 delivers “a class-leading power to weight ratio” of 389 hp per ton, making it the lightest V6-powered Exige ever. Also helping shed extra weight is a full exhaust system in titanium, which removes 22 pounds. Visible carbon fiber components adorn the sports car, including sill covers, roof, instrument binnacle, and barge boards. Thanks to its light weight, the Exige 410 Sport can rocket from 0-62 mph in just 3.3 seconds before hitting a top speed of 180 mph. While the Sport 410 is a road-going car, a host of motorsport-inspired options are also available including electrical cut-off and fire extinguisher controls.

Airbag deletion, a non-airbag steering wheel, four-point harnesses and a dealer fit FIA compliant roll cage is also available. Inside, you get an Alcantara steering wheel and Lotus carbon fiber sport seats, available in Alcantara and leather or full-leather trim with contrasting stitching. An Interior Color Pack provides contrasting surrounds to the transmission console, HVAC surround, carbon seat eyelets and electric window bezels. Air conditioning and an integrated entertainment system including iPod and Bluetooth connectivity is also available. Pricing in the UK starts at £85,600, but the Lotus Exige Sport 410 won’t be sold in the US, sadly. Sorry for wasting your time.